The love of a flower and a chocobo
by WantedGeek
Summary: Set during the events of the Game after AVALANCHE's first visit to Cosmo Canyon. Cloud takes the opportunity to show his true feelings for a certain flower girl. Slightly lemony tang - Have rated M just to be safe Please R & R if you have the time, but above all else enjoy (This is actually a re-write of another story of mine: 'Aerith & Cloud's heart to Heart')


The brunette was elated as always – Her face was of course defined with her trademark gentle smile and soft features. She wore this like a uniform, even sometimes when she didn't entirely feel like it, she would put the uniform on just as she always did.

Her long auburn hair was tied into a long plait that trailed down to the small of her back with soft wavy bangs cascading down either side of her face.

Her hair blew gently, this way and that in the summer breeze, and her light pink silken dress hugged her porcelain skin tightly – the lower and looser part of the dress joined her hair in this windy dance as it began to flutter around her legs.

Her brown hide boots made a soft padding sound as she strolled slowly through the vast woodland around her.

The sunlight broke through gaps in the canopy above and the kind natured woman sighed with content ~ Never did she feel as at peace as she did right now.

The trees made a soft hushing sound as the wind blew through each individual branch and leaf, causing the birds to erupt in a sweet song.

The place was glowing in, yellow, green, pink and blue ~ in some places, golden beams of sunlight lit up different sections on the ground making it look like the area was being blessed by the sunlight.

Mother nature at her finest…She was truly in her element.

"Aerith." A deep, soft and stoic voice broke through her peaceful meditation and made her jump in reaction.

"Oh goodness! C-Cloud…I'm sorry!" She giggled nervously as her cheeks tinted a light pink in her embarrassment. "I zoned out there for a moment…I forgot that I wasn't alone."

She smiled softly as she turned to her blonde friend by the name of Cloud, entwining her hands behind her back and tilting her head in silent curiosity.

It hadn't been long since she met the young man who had fallen from the sky ~ Just as another even younger man of a similar standing had done so 7 years before. ..The younger man from all those years ago was known by the name of Zack Fair, First Class Soldier.

Oh how alike these two men were… It was almost too coincidental to believe.

Cloud claimed to be a First Class member of the Soldier faction as well and wore the same deep amethyst Soldier uniform as Zack did. His hair was spiked up in a similar style to Zack's also. He even had the same mannerisms…that same cocky stance.

She inwardly grinned at this and blushed ever so slightly.

The only difference of course were their temperaments…Cloud seemed very reserved, forlorn at times and his hair of course, was Blonde ~ The same… yet, it was almost like they were light and dark. It was very puzzling to say the least…

Even more puzzling to Aerith were the feelings that she got around Cloud. The flutter of her heart was un-mistakable.

"Aerith…you shouldn't disappear like that." Cloud murmured with slight annoyance in his voice, shifting his eyes left to right quickly and placing his right arm on the handle of the large sword that lay affixed in a holster attached to his back.

He flicked his left wrist and arm forward in a gesture, before rising it upward to push a stray blonde spike from his face - his Mako infused azure gaze bore into her and he did not break eye contact.

Aerith squirmed ever so slightly, her blush deepening upon her cheeks.

"O-Oh…yes of course. I'm sorry Cloud – It's just, I've never actually been into woodland as beautiful as this before, or even this far outside of Midgar… I can't believe I've never ventured this far before…it's awe inspiring." She giggled happily once again, her voice filled with wonderment as she raised an index finger to her hair twirling it around a stray bang nervously.

"Really…" The blonde retorted, a slight surprise in his voice.

…_I can't believe she's never even left Midgar …_

"Yes, really." She nodded and smiled gently, her voice soft. "All these flowers!" She beamed raising onto her tip toes and spreading her arms wide gesturing to all the wildlife around her. "It's absolutely wonderful…I must come here more often…" She trailed off slightly on the last part – and her smile had become a little lighter than before – her features a little heavier and more serious.

Cloud noted this.

"Aerith…" Cloud took a few steps closer to Aerith.

Even the man himself knew how uncharacteristic of him this was. But, Aerith did something to him. She made him feel alive, and like…he wanted to be close to her – Protect her with all his heart and soul.

It made him uneasy, yet, he couldn't resist it if he tried.

"Is something wrong?" He raised an eyebrow, genuinely concerned for Aerith. "You've been…distant since Cosmo Canyon…" He noted aloud, again not lifting his azure gaze from the brunette's own emerald one.

"I-I'm fine Cloud." Aerith frowned a little, shifting her gaze to the ground. "It's just-" She looked up at him once again before she continued – His azure gaze was boring into her now.

"Cloud…" The far from home flower girl placed her hands together, looking down at them. "…How do you stay so strong? When hope seems so shrouded in darkness…" She asked honestly, but poetically – such that was Aerith's way.

Cloud could almost hear the lump stuck in her throat as she spoke, this caused a sharp pang in his chest in response and quite frankly he was taken aback to say the least. _Why is she asking me this? _He thought.

"Well…I suppose it's honour…something someone told me once…" Cloud nodded slowly, and blinked hard shaking his head as if to clear some unwelcome vision that had momentarily entered his head. "I think…"

"Honour…" She repeated in a low mutter, still looking at her small delicate hands.

The brunette blinked hard remembering the conversation that she had experienced in her mind's eye from a voice that only she was able to hear the night before. It had happened during Budenhagen's explanation of the death of the planet and it had chilled her to the bone.

Aerith's hands were shaking a little and Cloud again had noted this – his body went a bit tense and he took another footstep forward to Aerith, curling a gloved hand towards her – why did he feel so protective of her? "Aerith…" He mumbled. Something didn't feel right at all.

With only a second's hesitation, Cloud placed his hand on top of Aerith's trembling one.

Aerith looked up at Cloud, into those glowing orbs once again and stared for a few moments. She then returned his gesture by squeezing his hand in return. _Honour… _She thought again as her frown became a soft smile, and her hands stopped trembling, although the blush didn't recede from her cheeks.

Cloud's hand was tingling from Aerith's touch, and he was finding it hard to resist the further need to be even closer to this fallen angel.

He was so close that he could smell her heavenly scent – He couldn't help but inhale softly, before he raised his free hand brushing a stray silken bang from Aerith's beautiful face.

He trailed his gloved hand down her warm cheek, stopping when he reached her chin.

Aerith's breathing had quickened a little to Cloud's touch and she could feel her body heat rising as her lips parted. She was unable to break her gaze away from the alluring mako-infused eyes of the male.

"Cloud…" She muttered in a whisper.

"Aerith…you're…beautiful…" Cloud whispered imploring the urges that he could no longer ignore.

Aerith's cheeks were burning now – Had she heard him right? Was this really happening, or was this another elaborate dream she had concocted?

As if hearing her silent denial and wanting to convince her otherwise, Cloud released Aerith's hand and slowly snaked both of his arms behind her back, pulling her to him so she could feel the warmth of his body against her own.

The bashful flower girl looked up at blonde – His eyes were filled with passion and raw emotion. An emotion that she could tell was new to these wonderful eyes.

"C-Cloud…I-" Aerith began, she was so over-whelmed with his closeness that she couldn't even form a sentence.

Cloud was still getting carried away with his urges and the closeness had only further fuelled his feelings for the girl before him.

The girl now in his arms.

He lowered his head slightly as he pulled Aerith gently upward; his nose brushed against her cheek and she gasped feeling a shiver throughout her body.

Cloud then brushed his lips across the soft and tender skin of Aerith's ear, lingering for a moment as he closed his eyes and inhaled again, this time a little deeper – Her scent intoxicating his senses.

" .Beautiful." He stated again in a husky whisper, but this time his tone was more assertive. "I want to taste you…" His voice was sensual, and the words were enough to make Aerith reach melting point in his arms.

Aerith gulped a little to this, her breaths becoming more erratic as she adopted her own boldness and raised her arms wrapping both of them around Cloud's neck, before parting her lips again. "T-taste me, Cloud…please…" Her blush deepened at her own words, this was most definitely not a dream – This was a wonderful reality that she hoped would never end.

This was all Cloud needed to hear.

With that, he lowered his wanting, heated lips to Aerith's quiveringly soft rose-bud ones, placing a lingering kiss upon them.

She kissed him back, wrapping her slender arm tighter around his neck, pulling him ever closer to her.

Cloud tightened his arms around her slender waist in response, picking up the kiss which steadily became more heated.

Aerith parted her lips into the kiss; it was then that Cloud saw his chance and gently slipped his tongue into her mouth, coaxing her smaller tongue to meet his.

She happily obliged as her supple tongue met his in a passionate dance.

Aerith let out a soft moan, pressing her lips more forcefully to Cloud's and trailing a hand into the blonde hair that she loved so much. Her fingers entwined with the golden spikes and she gently tugged as another moan escaped her lips, then earning a deep groan in return from Cloud.

The blonde began to let his hands wander – He wanted to feel every inch of this beautiful woman's body.

God he loved her…this was love, wasn't it? It wasn't just lust.

He lusted for her of course, but this was much more than that.

He wanted- no…he needed her.

Now, and always.

Cloud didn't break away from the spine tingling kiss as he slipped off his gloves and dropped them softly to the ground…

…that was better.

He could feel the silken material of her fitted pink dress beneath his finger-tips as he trailed them up her back to the nape of her neck.

He brushed her hair ever so slightly before pressing the palm of his hands purposefully on her shoulder blades and sliding them downwards again, stopping at the base of her spine.

Cloud lingered for a moment before continuing his journey south and boldly clutched Aerith's pert buttocks in his large hands.

Aerith whimpered in both surprise and pleasure, finding herself wanting more by the second.

Cloud groaned as he squeezed tighter on Aerith's buttocks and lifted the floral maiden's petit frame with ease causing Aerith to whimper again and wrap her legs around his lower waist to support herself.

The feeling was such a rush - so exciting and wonderful…and warm, she loved it.

This had escalated so quickly, yet she wanted more still.

This felt so perfectly right.

She instinctively and almost uncontrollably arched her hips into his, earning a pleasurable deep throated groan from the blonde before he propped her back against the trunk of a nearby tree.

She could feel him between them – his manhood was growing with their passion.

Cloud finally broke the kiss to trail hungry kisses down Aerith's neck and collar bone.

The brunette whimpered louder this time, arching her head into the tree trunk behind her not caring about the roughness of the bark against her back.

Both blonde and brunette were breathless with want, completely and utterly lost in each other.

Suddenly, a voice broke through, shattering their passion.

"Aerith, Cloud!? Where are you?!" The shrill and slightly panicked call of Tifa echoed from some nearby clearing.

Aerith and Cloud both stared wide eyed for a moment – Emerald pools searching azure ones.

"We're f-fine! Just heading back!" Aerith piped up, their bodies and eyes still glued to one another.

"Oh! …Alrighty!" Tifa chirped seemingly satisfied and apparently not noticing the suspicious break in Aerith's pitch.

Cloud and Aerith spent a few seconds in silence remaining in the same position until they reluctantly released each other.

Aerith slid back to her feet, her whole face a rather bright pink hue.

Even a heated blush was visible on the usually stoic blonde's cheeks.

Cloud rose his hand to his blonde spikes and ran his fingers through them briefly. "Aerith…I…I'm so sorry…I-" Cloud shook his head shamefully and turned on his heels to head back to camp.

Just as Cloud had taken his first step, he felt Aerith's small hand grab his forearm – She had a stronger grip than he had imagined.

"Cloud…It's alright…I'm…very happy at what just happened." Aerith's bashful hue deepened again. She was sure she would melt right there before Cloud's eyes.

"…Really…?" He asked again, a happier tone in his voice.

"Really." Aerith giggled, trailing her hand down Cloud's forearm and entwining her fingers with his before flashing him a shy smile.

"Well then…I guess we better head back…together." He smiled softly back to Aerith – The girl whom he had wanted to be close to since he had first met had just got closer than he ever dreamed were possible.

For the first time in years, he felt like himself again, and for that brief moment.

He was Cloud – The boy from Nibelheim.

Aerith smiled as she walked through the beautiful woodland with Cloud – It was in that moment that she accepted her fate.

_You have to protect the ones you love…no matter what._

She would smile at him, her love, her life, now and until she took her very last breath.


End file.
